Editorial -- Welcome Class of 1997

Welcome, and congratulations. Getting in to MIT is no small feat; incoming
students deserve a round of applause and a hearty handshake.

Now the real work begins.

MIT is a hard school. Until the time you take your place on the
commencement platform, you will have undoubtedly challenged yourself in
ways you can't begin to imagine: academically, physically, socially. That,
after all is what MIT is about -- stretching your mind, developing your
abilities, pushing your limits.

Take control of time here. Pursue your interests, seek out the company of
people you like. Don't be afraid to try something you never have
experienced before. And if you are having trouble, don't be afraid to ask
for help.

MIT provides a wealth of opportunities for new students -- sports,
activities, research programs. But these offerings go only to those
aggressive enough to ask for them. Investigate these opportunities --
they'll shape your MIT experience just as much as any lecture or recitation
section will.

Most of all, remember that at MIT, nothing is permanent. Students can
switch classes, switch roommates, switch living groups, switch jobs, switch
majors with surprising ease. In your first years here, treat MIT like an
adventure -- new and exciting, and full of sudden twists and turns. You
have at least a year to choose majors, and at least two dozen avenues to
explore.

MIT can be exhilarating: exciting classes, cutting-edge research, wonderful
teachers. It can also be cruel: bad food, dull classes, insensitive
administrators. MIT can make you doubt your choices and second-guess your
decisions. But you will get through it.

So welcome to MIT, the best and the worst of all possible worlds. With your
help, it can only get better.